


Blackout

by Charming_Quill



Series: Five Nights at Freddy's Saga [1]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-10 13:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3291452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charming_Quill/pseuds/Charming_Quill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Employees of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza are swamped with birthday parties during a hot summer day when the power goes out. After they usher people out, the animatronics start to act weird. It is not long before they begin roaming around terrifying the employees. Will any of them be able to get out alive? And is one of them hiding a dark secret?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 7:30

Sweetly humming to herself, Evie Johnson vigorously scrubbed the faux reddish brown fur of an animatronic. Her glossy chestnut curls were tied back with a plain white headband. They bounced each time she dipped down to soak her rag in soapy water. The sleeves of her red shirt were rolled up to make sure she did not get them wet. After tackling a few stubborn stains, she panted, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Of all the air conditioned rooms inside Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, Pirate’s Cove was no one of them. Of course, Evie understood this. The cornered off room was kept from prying eyes by a purple curtain. What was inside, besides Foxy, was not all that special: just a dark wooden stage, a few spotlights, and one small corner table she had secretly dragged in. Even then, the table was only there to temporarily place spare parts on it.

Stopping a moment to take a short break, Evie swelled with pride as admired her hard work. Foxy the pirate had never looked so polished. His well-oiled skeleton shone in the florescent light. Each time he moved, the annoying squeak no longer plagued her ears. Wires that she had painstakingly reworked were neatly settled into place.

Placing her hand fondly on Foxy’s shoulder, Evie sighed. “You’re coming along great.” She noticed a tiny splotch of grease still clinging to his snout. Satisfied, she tossed the rag aside, and grabbed a wrench. “I’ll have you fixed up in no time flat.”

“That’s a laugh,” a gruff voice snorted. Turning around, Evie furrowed her thick eyebrows. Her coworker, Josh, was standing behind her. His lean arms were tightly crossed over his chest. Lifting his square jaw, he flashed a crocked smile. “It’s funny how you still think you’ll win the bet. Because Foxy still looks like shit.”

Evie remained completely silent, though it was not an easy task. She tightened a few loose screws, and resituated Foxy’s hook. Promptly ignoring Josh sometimes was the best way to stop his babbling. Unfortunately, today was not the case. He fiddled with the belt, and impatiently tapped his foot. Almost like the silence made him uncomfortable.

From what Evie understood, Josh was one of those typical going nowhere type of guys. He did decently enough in school, but had no passion to continue his education. As far as his love life went, he was not much of a looker nor nice enough to make a great catch. The only thing he really was so sure about in his future was applying to the military. He talked nonstop about how his physical test was coming up soon, and he had to be in shape. Evie pretty much tuned out his words, while she worked.

Strolling up beside her, Josh playfully slapped his large right hand on her back. “Come on, baby? There’s no need for you to be all pissy with me. I’m only speakin’ the truth.” His apology was less than genuine.

Unable to keep silent, Evie whirled around. Startled, Josh stepped back in an attempt to avoid the wrench waving in front of his face. “I’ve had it up to here with you, Josh! Stop trying to make me angry or I’m going to beat you senseless!”

“Okay, I’ll stop.” He held up his hands in defense. Content with his answer, Evie refocused on finishing up her work. That meant taking her eyes off of Josh, who took full advantage of the situation. His arm snaked around her waist, while he cleared his throat. “Still chattin’ it up with the animatronics, I see?” He ran his fingers through his sand colored, thin hair. Flakes of white powder sprinkled onto his purple Bonnie shirt

Shrugging his arm off, Evie rolled her grey eyes. “I don’t talk to the animatronics!” She spat. “It’s just talking out loud to myself. Something to keep me occupied while I’m cleaning. I don’t actually think these things are real.”

“Yeah right! You really think I’m gonna believe that. Face it, Eve, you’re just plain crazy.” Throwing back his head, Josh erupted in boisterous laughter.

Angered by his snickering, Evie huffed. Her cheeks were hot with rage. Jaw was clenched shut. She twisted around, set the wrench on the table, and changed the conversation. “I’m assuming you’re here ‘cause Tammy’s looking for me, and not just to insult me.”

“Well, it is almost time for the morning meeting, and you know how anxious Tammy gets when you’re late. And, she seemed pretty mad when you were late last week. But, of course, you don’t have to thank me for saving your ass once again.” Josh’s mocking tone very nearly snapped the remaining threads of Evie’s patience. Before she could, however, she stormed out of Pirates Cove, leaving her arrogant coworker alone.

“Can’t believe I have to put up with such an asshole,” she quietly muttered. Jamming her hands into her pants pockets, she glared down at the speckled tile floor. Her lips were curled into a snarl. “Why won’t Tammy fire him already?”

“What about me, Evie?” A shrill voice interrupted Evie’s thoughts. She halted, and glanced up. There the employee manager stood, holding her clip board. A wild mane of golden brown hair framed her rounded face. Bronzed skin complemented her amber eyes, and brown Freddy polo shirt. She tapped her pen to the board, waiting for an answer.

Shaking her head, Evie straightened out her back. “Nothing, Tammy. I was just complaining about a friend of mine.” She fibbed. As much as Evie despised Josh, she was not about to insight Tammy’s wrath. The manager was hell bent on perfection, and if an unfortunate underling caused problems, then she would fire them on the spot. So, it was better for Evie to bury the feud rather than make a fuss.

Sniffing, as though she did not believe Evie’s words of assurance, Tammy spoke. “Perhaps you’d do better to focus on work instead of your own personal problems. In case you forgot, we have a meeting in one minute in the dining room. We best not be late.”

Perhaps you should loosen up, and stop nitpicking, Evie thought to herself. “Yes ma’am,” begrudgingly, she submitted to Tammy’s tyranny. She walked along behind her manager with slumped shoulders. Figuring today would just be one of those awful days, she sighed. She glanced up at the passing clock, and winced. 7:30 am. I’ve got a long way to go to one, she thought.


	2. 10:30

The morning meeting had been nothing special. It consisted of Tammy badgering the cooks about the appropriate pizza temperature, and personal/kitchen hygiene. Also, she mentioned something about catching whoever was tampering with the animatronics, but no one paid any attention to that. They kept their heads down until the meeting was adjourned.

Now, it was a few hours later, and Evie was bustling with young children. Several parties were simultaneously going on, which meant the sixteen year old was swamped with filling empty plates and plastic cups. There was hardly a moment to breathe, let alone take a break.

One particularly frustrating obstacle was Freddy’s band malfunctioning. Bonnie refused to play on beat. Chica kept bending over the crowd, and getting stuck. Freddy constantly stuttered, and there were moments when his voice completely cut out. That left a whole lot of disappointed kids.

It seemed like Josh was called to the stage every ten minutes to fix the issues. And, since he was not a maintenance expert, he would always ask Evie for help. The sprinting from stage to dining area to kitchen to her tool box at Pirates Cove was like an endless cycle. She spent a good hour or two doing this, praying that her day would be over soon.

Rather suddenly around 10:30, while Evie was refilling soda, the lights shut off. A few people screamed. Others groped in the dark, trying to find their children. Evie did her best to herd as many children together as possible, and matching them with parents. She felt a tap on her shoulder after she had finished. Squinting her eyes, she was able to see the outline of Josh standing in front of her.

“What’s going on, Eve?” He whispered into her ear.

“I have no idea,” she confessed, shrugging her shoulders. “Tammy might know though. Did you find her?”

“She took off as soon as the lights cut out. Probably in her office yelling into her phone. What do we do?”

“If I could get these people to listen to me, then I’d tell them to leave. I don’t think the power will be back on anytime soon. But, I’m not gonna do anything until Terrible Tammy gives us instructions, or else I’ll pay for it.”

“Smart move,” Josh chuckled, scratching the light fuzz on his chin. He appeared a little unnerved by the darkness, and could not take his eyes off of the stage.

Thankfully, Tammy swooped into the room like a glowing savoir, carrying a bunch of flashlights she kept at her desk. She handed them out to all the employees. Once that was done, Tammy climbed up onto the stage. “Listen up!” People stopped talking at the sound of the manager’s voice addressing the crowd. “We’re sorry for this unfortunate inconvenience. I’ve called the power company, and it seems that we are experiencing a rolling blackout. And, they’re having grid problems, so do not panic. Please proceed calmly to the nearest exit. Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza will refund your party fee, and please accept these discount coupons on the way out.”

Grumbling, the parents quickly shuffled their children out into the parking lot. They all filed into their cars, after taking the free coupons of course. Evie stood outside to organize things, until everyone left in their cars. That was when she noticed a small boy lingering by himself.

Tears were streaming down his face, and lined his hazel eyes. His curly, short, raven black hair was neatly combed back. He wore a bright blue shirt with a rocket blasting off into space.

Bending over, and tilting her head, Evie said, “Are you lost, kid?” In response to her question, the boy shook his head no, and sniffled. He wiped away his tears from his peach colored cheeks. Trying to put on a brave look, he could not stop his body from trembling, or keep his eyes from anxiously darting back to the building.

“Then what are you still doing here? Shouldn’t your mom be taking you home?”

Wincing at the mention of his mother, he stuttered out an explanation. “My…momma…said I had to…stay here until the party was over…at 3. And…and…I can’t find my friend’s mom to take me home.” He bowed his head, almost as though he was shamed that he lost an adult so easily.

Evie gave him a warm smile, and squeezed his shoulder. Kneeling down, she stared directly into his eyes. “Don’t worry,” she assured him, in a soft, patient voice. “You can stay here with me until your mom comes to pick you up. Does that sound good?”

Giving a slight nod, the kid unexpectedly wrapped his short arms around her neck. Taken aback by the hug, Evie lightly patted his back, and quickly pulled back. She felt awkward that the boy had suddenly latched onto her. Though she had a ton of experience working parties at Freddy’s, she never truly spent any one on one time with them. Clearing her throat, she placed her hands on her hips. “So…um, what’s your name, kid?”

“Zachary,” he answered.

“Well, Zach. How about we go back inside? It’s pretty hot out here.” Evie’s suggestion was met with a terrified look from Zach. He grabbed a fistful of her jeans, and refused to let go. Short, gasping breaths accompanied his wide eyes.

Burying his face, he wailed and howled in protest. “I don’t wanna go back inside! Freddy’s scary and I don’t like them!”

Rolling her eyes, Evie shook him loose from her pants. He’s one of those kids, she grumbled to herself. But, she remained polite, and gently held Zach’s wrist. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Freddy and the gang are powered down right now. None of them are going to get you, okay?”

Zach still appeared unconvinced, but he deeply trusted the nice woman employee. Something about her warm smile, or sparkling grey eyes, or sweet voice was soothing to him. It almost reminded him of his mother, who he desperately wanted right at the moment. So, without a second thought, he agreed, and the two of them reentered Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.


	3. 10:45

“Who is that? I thought I told you to send all the parents and kids away!” Tammy pointed to Zach, her nostrils flaring with anger. It also did not help that she was holding the flashlight to her face, looking like a ghostly head floating in midair. Seeing her sent the kid into a fit of panic, and he dove to the ground. His head covered by his hands.

Crossing her arms, Evie lifted her chin. “This is Zach, Tammy.” She snarled. Before Tammy could object, her coworker cut her off, as though she knew what question was coming. “And his mom can’t come to pick him up until three. So, he’s stuck here until then, and no, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

The two of them glared at each other for a long moment. Almost as if they were waiting to see who would bow to submission first. Finally, Tammy caved by directing her gaze down to Zach. “You, young man, will stick to Evie like glue, and you do everything she says. I don’t want to catch you wandering around alone. If I do, then you’re out of here, understood?”

“Yes,” Zach squeaked. Satisfied, Tammy handed him a bright flashlight, turned around, and vanished into the darkness. The body flipped his light on, and appeared puzzled.

Evie turned on her light also, while lightly nudging him. “Don’t worry about her too much. She’s just grouchy.” Placing her hand on his back, she started guiding him further along in the building. “Come on. As much as I don’t want to, I still have to clean.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s part of our protocol.”

“Why?”

“We have to make sure the place is clean before we leave.”

“Why?”

“So, we don’t have to clean it the next morning.” At first, the repeated question was charming, but now it became annoying. Evie hoped that Zach would drop the subject soon because she could not come up with a better answer. Thankfully, he did, and they proceeded to the supply closet in silence.

Once they got there, Evie accidently bumped into Josh. He was hauling the heavy carpet cleaner out. Startled by the bump, he let go of the handle, sending the vacuum crashing to the floor. Whirling around to yell at the clumsy idiot who was responsible, he changed his tune when he saw it was Evie.

Leaning against the doorway, he purposefully blocked the entrance. “Looks like we just keep bumbling into each other today, Eve.” He playfully winked.

“How unlucky for me,” Evie pushed past him, nearly forcing him to lose his balance. When he regained his footing, he caught a glimpse of Zach, who was shining his light into the darkness behind him.

“Who’s the kid?” He asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Evie barely heard the question amongst all the noise she was making. It was hard to dig around broom handles, trying to find the one she wanted. She was really getting tired of this question, though, so she kept her answer short. “His name’s Zach.”

“Okay…” Pausing awkwardly, Josh tapped his arm. “And what is he doing here?”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Evie explained for the second time. The frustration in her voice was evident, so whatever comments Josh was going to interject, he decided against it. Instead, he grabbed the vacuum handle, and pulled it out to get it out of Evie’s way. Grateful for his help, a thought suddenly crossed her mind, so she asked a question.

“Hey, Josh, who’s assigned to do what?”

“Gina’s job is to pick up trash in the dining and stage room. I’ve got to vacuum and sweep the floors. Plus, I’m wiping down the arcade. The day guard, I think his name is Michael; he’s in charge of starting the generator. You’ve got bathroom duty and the animatronics still need fixing. But that’s when you get to it.”

Sticking her head back out the door, Evie groaned. “Wasn’t that your job? Why can’t you do it?” The thought of her sticking her hands inside the animatronics with hardly any light was not a pleasant one. Josh flashed a smile that seemed to say, “Not in your life,” and wandered away without an answer. Wrinkling her nose, Evie scooped the required supplies into her arms, and closed the door with a nudge of her hip.

She escorted Zach to the girl’s bathroom where the gruesome task began. Pulling on a pair of rubber gloves, she started with the toilets, working her way meticulously to the sinks and floors and trashcans. The gruesome grime coated everything in sight, causing Evie to plug her nose to block out the smell. Her teeth gripped the flashlight to help her to see what she was doing.

Zach was perched on the counter top, swinging his legs back and forth. The back of his shoes slapped against the rusty old piping. A loud ding resonated through the small room, and rang in Evie’s ears. Both were silent. That is, until they heard a bloodcurdling scream.

Jerking his head up, Zach’s knuckles went white. His whole body tensed up. “What…was that…Miss Evie?”

“I don’t know, Zach,” she calmly admitted, even though her heart was racing as fast as his. Ripping off the gloves and helping the boy down, she rushed out the door with him in tow. They traveled swiftly toward the noise, which sounded like it came from the dining room.

When they walked into the room, Evie saw a young woman backing toward the exit door. She had long, straight platinum hair. As if it was even possible, her white skin had paled to an even pastier tone. Her yellow Chica employee shirt was drenched in sweat. Meeting the confused looks of both Evie and Zach with her light blue eyes, her small body shook.

“What’s wrong, Gina?” Evie grabbed Gina’s tiny hands in concern.

Pointing to the animatronics on stage, Gina sucked in a deep. “It….it…it moved!” She sputtered. Her eyes were now locked on Bonnie, the purple bunny. “He twitched.”

“What’s going on here?” Tammy suddenly stormed in. Her hair was flowing behind her like a cape. Teeth clenched, she glared at Gina. “Why did you scream?”

Swallowing her fear, Gina let go of the broom, and it loudly clanged to the floor. “Bonnie moved. His head jerked around, and looked at me!” Just about to break down in tears, she buried her hands into her face. “That’s it. I want to go home. It’s too dark here!”

Tammy’s angry face melted away into a stare of sympathy. “All right, Gina. I’ll dismiss you early today, and you can work extra tomorrow. Come on.” She waved the trembling girl over, and ushered her toward the front door. Evie, giving one last weary glance toward the animatronics, she walked back to Zach.


	4. 11:15

Zach appeared visibly disturbed by Gina’s nonsensical babbling. Wide-eyed, his gaze did not leave Bonnie. Almost as if he was locked in a staring contest, or transfixed by an invisible force. Only the snapping of Evie’s fingers shocked him out of the daze. He jumped before realizing who had startled him.

“You all right, Zach?” She watched carefully as the color returned to his face.

Sucking in a deep breath to steady himself, the boy answered. “Those animatronics give me the creeps. They just look so…dead.”

Evie had to admit to herself that, when she first started this job, she had thought the same exact thing. Blank, unblinking eyes that could pierce people’s souls who walked past. Jerky movements of robotic limbs and joints were unnatural. Mouths were hanging open wide, revealing a jumble of wires tangled around a glistening silver endoskeleton. They were definitely not the most friendliest faces around.

Despite all of this, Evie had easily grown accustomed to the colorful characters. Something drew her to them, where comforting warmth always settled in her stomach as she passed. She often hummed, or quietly sang, or talked about her recent problems to the lifeless objects. None of them ever judged her, or snickered whenever she walked past. And, for a girl who had hardly any close friends, that time was precious to her.

Shaking her head, Evie drew herself out of her thoughts and sighed. That was when the boy posed a question. “Do you have to go back to cleaning the bathrooms?” Zach whined. “It smells bad in there.”

Ain’t that the truth, she silently agreed. The question suddenly sparked an idea in Evie’s head. She had finished cleaning the bathrooms, and Tammy had ordered her to fix the animatronics. Bending over to meet Zach’s eyes, she smiled. “Don’t worry. The bathrooms are done.”

“What do you hafta do now?”

Cocking her head, she winked at him. “Well, I’ve got a friend who, if you don’t mind, I was hoping I could introduce you to someone.”

No suspicious of his companion’s tone or behavior, Zach readily agreed to her suggestion. “Okay. Who do you want me to meet?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Evie patted him on the head, as she strolled back to the bathroom. Gathering up the supplies and dumping them into the closet, she led him toward Pirates Cove. They made a quick stop for her toolbox before reaching the purple curtain.

Zach froze when he noticed the out of order sign. His jaw clenched, as Evie climbed the stage. Without even waiting for him to protest, she bent over, and hoisted him up. He valiantly struggled, while the teen lifted the curtain, and pushed him inside. The boy immediately curled into a corner by the table. His hands were covering up his face.

Rolling her eyes, Evie dug around in her toolbox, and plucked up a screwdriver. She went to work tightening Foxy’s slack jaw. Then, once that was fixed, she measured the gaping holes in his exterior, and wrote them on her small notepad. She also made a note of the reddish brown fur that she would have to replace.

She patiently waited for Zach to calm down enough to join her. And sure enough, he finally did muster up the courage to inch toward his nightmare. His eyebrows were furrowed, as he inspected the hook wielding fox.

Evie chuckled, doing her best to hide her amusement behind her hand. Cheeks flushed with embarrassment, Zach started to retreat. Before he could do so, she set down her notepad, and gently snatched the boy’s wrist. “Let go of me!” He shouted, trying desperately to break out of her grasp.

“Don’t worry, Zach,” Evie made her voice as soothing as possible. “As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to you. Just relax, and pet Foxy. He’s not going to hurt you.”

Reassured by her words, the boy bravely stepped forward to conquer his fear. He cringed as his fingers touched the faux fur. Eyes squeezed shut; he waited for something terrible to happen, which did not occur. Foxy remained limp and lifeless. Comforted by this fact, Zach petted the animatronic.

“See, he’s not so scary. There’s nothing to be afraid of…”

“Ah!” Another terrified screech carried throughout the pizzeria. Both Zach and Evie gave each other puzzled glances. Gina had left the building, right? There was no reason for anyone to be screaming in panic. But if that was the case, then why was it happening now?

Josh poked his sweaty head through the curtain, panting as though he had been running a marathon. He took a moment to catch his breath before speaking. “Did you hear that scream?”

Unable to form words, Evie simply nodded. The noise had made her blood chill. Josh gestured for them to get off the stage, which Zach happily obliged. Also hopping down, Evie nearly felt her knees buckle. She had to grab onto Josh for support. “Where do you think it came from?” She choked out.

“Sounds like the dining room again. We’d better hurry.” Taking off in a sprint, they once again headed for the party dining room. They expected to find Gina standing there, but were surprised to see Tammy instead. She stood in the room entrance; with her back straightened and arms locked to her side. When she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching, she whirled around.

Eyes blazing with rage, she pointed into the center of the room where something stood. “Who’s idea of a joke is this? Because this prank is not funny!” She hissed.

Leaning to the right to see what their boss was talking about, the trio was shocked to find Bonnie. He was standing upright in between a couple of tables. His body was turned to face the entrance. Shiny eyes stared right at them, and a creepy smile sent shivers rippling through their bodies.

“Tammy…” Evie stuttered, having problems forming words. “We haven’t touched the animatronics on stage since the lights went out.”

“How would I know?” Tammy crossed her arms, giving her two underlings a fierce look. “You weren’t cleaning the bathrooms like I asked.”

Zach suddenly felt the need to interject. “But Miss Evie finished the bathrooms, and she was fixin’ Foxy when you screamed.”

Suddenly, Tammy became absolutely furious. “You were doing what?” Her face started turning red. Evie cringed and clenched her fingers into a fist. The bet between her and Josh was supposed to stay a secret, but now, thanks to Zach’s naive nature, their secret was blown. But, before she could defend herself, she felt Josh grab her shoulder.

“Guys, look!”

Sounds of moans, squeaking metal joints, and stomping feet suddenly filled their ears. Turning around, they saw Bonnie…moving. He lurched forward, jerking with each agonizingly slow footstep. Like locking onto a target, he was making his way toward the dumbfounded group.

Despite her dry throat, Evie managed to say what everyone was thinking. “Run!”


	5. 11:45

Grabbing Zach’s hand, Evie dragged him along as they ran. He felt cold, and appeared numb to everything. Yet, the teen did not really notice these things, for her heart was pounding too fast. Her mind was racing. Had she really seen the singing robot trying to attack all of them?

She did not have time to think too much about it. Her priority was focused on getting Zach out of there, and she was following Tammy to the back of the pizzeria. Josh easily kept speed: his hand was resting on Evie’s lower back, pushing her along.

“Where are we going, Tammy?” He asked, breathless. “The exit’s back that way.”

Tammy did not answer. Her blonde hair flowed behind her, as she sprinted down a hallway. No one thought to question her further. Although, Josh had a distressed look on his face.

Everyone tumbled into the security guard’s office, causing a man in the chair to jump. He stood on his feet: head almost scrapping against the ceiling. Deep blue eyes, that almost looked purple in the light, glanced between his frightened guests.

“What’s going on here?” The middle-aged guard asked. His fingers were nervously tugging on his stringy dark brown hair. The grease and sweat stuck to his fingertips.

“Bonnie…the bunny…came to…life…and…chased us here…” Evie could barely force the words out of her mouth in between breaths. Doubled over, she supported herself with her left hand on her knee. She realized her grip on Zach was so hard, that his hand was losing its color. Letting go, she saw him ducked into a corner and began to rock. He faintly muttered to himself, something about it not being real.

The man raised an eyebrow, probably thinking that they were all crazy. Josh noticed the hesitation, and shook his head. “Michael, I know it sounds crazy, but she’s telling the truth! Check the screen if you don’t believe us.”

Michael did just that. With the monitor flipped up, he changed the screen. His face twisted into a horrified look when he checked the stage. “It’s not possible.” He whispered.

Tammy, being the first to compose herself, brushed back her bangs. Pulling her lips into a thin line, she sucked in a deep breath. “Well,” she sighed. “This is an unfortunate situation.”

“It’s more than that!” Evie yelled. Growing tired of Tammy’s poise and controlling nature, she crossed her arms. “We’re in deep shit!”

“Do not use that language on the job!” Came the manager’s sharp reply. Turning back to Josh, she snapped her fingers. “We’re going to have to handle this situation. It’s a part of our job, and protocol dictates that we must do as follows. Josh, I need you to…”

“Pssh. Fu…” Josh stared down at Zach, and thought better of his choice of words. Ripping off his name tag, he tossed it into the overflowing trashcan. “Forget that. I quit.” He trotted over to the left doorway, and casually saluted his boss. “See ya, ladies I’m not sticking around to die.”

With that, Josh disappeared into the dark hallway. Face flushed with anger, Tammy whirled around on her heels. Her nose was tilted up toward the ceiling, like she was a queen addressing her subjects. “I guess we’ll just have to carry on then.”

“What makes you think I’m going to stay?” Evie spat back. All of her pent up frustration, and the stress of the situation, started getting to her. Why should she stay and risk her life for an ungrateful boss?

“Um…Tammy,” Michael timidly tried to interject. He frantically pointed at the screen. Though the grainy images were faint, he could see the outline of Bonnie tearing Josh to pieces. Blood spouted from his body, while it was dragged away. “You might want to see this.”

“No, Michael,” Tammy angrily snapped at being interrupted. Inching closer to her coworker, she spoke through clenched teeth. Her glowing amber eyes were fixed on Evie’s grey ones, as if to say she was challenging her underling. “You’ll stay because I can’t manage this situation on my own! Besides, are you really brave enough to go back out there to face that unholy abomination?”

“Let me make myself clear! I’m here for one reason only, and I can guarantee that it’s not so I can risk my life staying here to follow your stupid protocol.”

“Well, maybe this whole ordeal started because you were tampering with the animatronics! Did you ever think of that?”

“I was fixing Foxy! It’s not like anybody else would, what with our pitiful funding.”

Narrowing her eyes, Tammy bared her glimmering white teeth. “I hope you don’t expect to keep your job after this!”

“I hope you don’t expect me to keep my job after this! They never said anything about the animatronics coming to life and trying to kill us!”

“I’ve only ever heard of some of the night guard about the stories, but I never thought it could happen during the daytime when there are children…”

“What?” Evie shouted. Her grey eyes went wide, and she nervously pulled on her ponytail. “You knew about this? You deliberately didn’t tell us and put the lives of everyone, including kids, in danger?”

Puffing out her chest, the manager rolled her eyes. “I complained to the higher ups, but no one wanted to believe me. Hell, I didn’t really believe the guards myself. They’re usually just a bunch of slackers.”

Without either Tammy or Evie noticing at all, since they were occupied fighting, Zach lifted his head and squinted his eyes. Suddenly, he leapt up. Michael, who was watching him, raised an eyebrow. He wondered what the boy was up to, when he ran toward one of the doors. Switching on the light, a cry caught in his throat. A deranged Bonnie Bunny was staring down at him. Zach squeaked with terror, and slammed his on the red door button.

Whoosh! The grey metal door fell to the floor, blocking the animatronic from getting in. Stepping backward, Zach fiddled with his fingers, keeping his gaze locked on the door. Michael came up behind him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Was that…”

Merely nodding, Zach muttered to himself. “I hope the door holds.”


	6. 1:00

“You and me both, kid,” the day guard sighed, while rubbing his temple. He refocused on the computer, hoping the metal maniac would just leave them all alone.

Evie and Tammy continued to viciously argue with each other. Both were chastising the other, trying to shift the blame between them. They seemed oblivious to the chaos around them. Standing in the center of the turmoil, their gazes were locked, as they slung their words like spears. All the shouting made it extra difficult for everyone else to hear Bonnie and Chica nearing the door.

Zach and Michael, meanwhile, were cautiously dancing around them. Manning the monitor and right door, the day guard insisted that the kid kept his distance. Zach begrudgingly obeyed, focusing all his attention on the left door.

This bizarre scene continued, until the argument reached its boiling point. Tammy threatened to fire Evie. Evie said Tammy did not have the authority. Then, both of them suddenly went eerily quiet. In almost perfect synchronization, they lifted their hands, and slapped the other’s cheek.

Slap!

The sound resonated throughout the room, leaving everyone completely dumbfounded. Evie was the first to respond by raising her hand to her burning cheek. A flash of consequences quickly popped into her head, prompting her to say, “We must never speak of this again.”

Tammy must have had the same thoughts because she nodded while replying, “Agreed.”

As they slowly became aware of their surroundings, both of them stared at Zach in confusion. Why was he standing by the door, Evie silently asked herself. She did not wait long for the answer.

She stifled a panicked scream when she saw Bonnie by the door. It slightly opened its mouth, as if it was trying to swallow them whole. Zach dutifully pushed the button, once again shutting the door. Swallowing her fear, Evie found her voice after recovering from the shock. “Have…you been doing this the whole time?”

“Um…yes?” Zach blinked, wondering why Evie posed such a stupid question.

“And we didn’t notice?” Running her finders through her hair, Evie leaned against the cluttered black desk. Guilt began to settle into her tightening stomach. Had the typically observant employee really been so absorbed with a petty dispute that she barely noticed the threat to everyone’s life? Zach could have died, and all she cared about was a few heated words.

Tammy appeared equally flustered. Turning on her heels, she snapped her head around to face Michael. Addressing him, her voice had an air of authority to it: albeit, still very shaky. “Michael, give me an update. What’s been happening while Evie and I were…preoccupied?”

Shooting his boss a frustrated glance, Michael crossed his arms, and pointed to the screen. “I’ve been trying to tell you this for the past hour! The animatronics Bonnie and Chica are dangerous! They’ve been trying to get into this room ever since you guys started going at each other. Not to mention what happened to Josh…”

“Josh?” Evie’s heart leapt into her chest. She bit her lower lip, and rubbed her fingers together. “What…”

Not allowing her to finish the question, Michael raised his hand to quiet Evie. He then tilted his head toward Zach. Speaking in a whisper, he explained, “I’d rather not say in front of the kid.”

“That’s absurd!” Stomping over to the monitor, Tammy flipped it back open. The guard was quick to object, but she would hear none of what she considered nonsense. Her finger tapped against the keyboard, changing the camera feed on screen. “I don’t believe for one minute that this isn’t anything more than an elaborate prank. Josh is fine. He’s probably laughing at all of us for how gullible we are…”

She abruptly stopped talking. Her skin went pale, and eyes widened. A hand was raised to cover up her dangling jaw. She shook as though there was an intense chill in the air.

“Tammy! What’s wrong?” Rushing over to the corner of the room, Evie leaned over Tammy’s shoulder. She was curious as to what would cause her boss to react in such a way. And boy, did she regret it.

A couple of employees were wondering the halls. They acted completely oblivious to the threat. Realization was slowly beginning to sink in. Evie recognized them as the afternoon group of teens who took over shifts around one. A part of her wanted to yell at them to get out, but she was helpless to stop their inevitable doom.

Both Bonnie and Chica were instantly attracted to the newcomers. Sure enough, those poor people were soon torn to shreds. What remained was nothing but spatters of blood pooling on the tile floor. Their dying shrieks could be heard clearly, despite the distance from the back room to the dinning hall.

Evie bowed her head, with tears pouring out of her eyes. She never really knew any of the afternoon employees, but surely none of them deserved such a fate. And, if this is what the animatronics did to strangers who just walked in, Josh had probably suffered a similar downfall. Choking back her sobs, she turned from the screen.

Josh had never been her favorite person. In fact, on any other day, she would proclaim he was nothing more than a jackass. Even then, she would not have wanted him to die so horrifically and suddenly.

“Oh my god!” Tammy started recovering from her initial shock. “Why…why didn’t I warn them…” She began to blubber. “This…is all…my fault! I should have never…we should have left.”

Shaking herself out of her daze, Evie suppressed her intense emotions. For the sake of everyone’s sanity, she forced herself to regain some sort of control. She sucked in a deep breath, and placed her right hand on Tammy’s shoulder.

The boss raised her golden eyes up. Salty tears were streaming down her cheeks. She sniffled, with her lower lip trembling.

She must really be suffering, Evie thought. Wiping her own tears from her eyes, she sighed. “It’s not your fault, Tammy. None of us knew what would happen, and you didn’t have much time.” The manager tried to protest, but her coworker would hear nothing of it. “Focusing on failures will only get us killed. We have to stick together, and survive until we can get out of her. Okay?”

Nodding, Tammy stood up from her seat, and walked over to Zach. With her hands locked behind her back, she composed herself. “May I take over the door now? You seem tired.”

Grateful for his replacement, Zach eagerly accepted. He reclaimed his spot in the corner. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a tiny candy bar, and started munching on it. Evie also offered this option to Michael, who accepted as well.


	7. 1:15

Time passed in strained silence. How much, Evie could not say because she refused to look at the clock. The only noise came from outside the room. An upbeat song played in the kitchen. Deep, humming voices echoed throughout the halls. Gasping moans sent shivers down their spines.

Everyone remained completely focused on their individual assignment. One person each was stationed by the doors, and they were switched out every five minutes to keep their reflexes sharp. Another person focused on the monitor, leaving the last guy with a few minutes to take a break.

During her break period, Evie perched on a chair, with her head resting on her palm. She observed her fellow survivors while they worked. Zach would always jump or cringe at any load noise. His watch was vigilant, and he took his job very seriously.

Tammy, on the other hand, looked frazzled, and had to force herself to pay attention. Able to tell what was on her manager’s mind, Evie shook her head. The death of coworkers hung over the young woman like a dark cloud. Every ounce of her energy was devoted to keeping herself from crumbling under the guilt and pressure.

But, as bad off as those two was, neither of them compared to Michael’s deteriorating mental state. The man eyes darted to the dark shadows. He kept muttering, “It’s me,” every once in a while. To top it all off, he would randomly fly into a fit of rage, shouting at someone he referred to as Golden Freddy. His growing erratic behavior was starting to worry Evie.

However, despite this concern, she said noting, as she contemplated their situation. Something weighed heavily on Evie’s mind that she had yet to answer. Why were the animatronics doing this? What was the purpose of attempting to slaughter every single person inside the pizza place? If only I knew the reason, then maybe I could stop them, she muttered to herself. But, seeing as she was unwilling to get close to them, she decided the risk was not worth taking.

She stood up. It was her turn to replace Tammy at the left door. Walking over, she wearily smiled at the blonde, trying her best to put on a brave face. Ignoring the gesture, Tammy sidestepped Evie, and they switched. She went to the monitor, while Zach moved toward the right door. That left Michael by himself, taking a break.

As soon as Tammy opened the screen, she went rigid. “Guys,” the concern in her voice was unnerving. “Where’s Foxy? He’s not on the screen anymore!”

“He’s not in Pirate’s Cove?” Evie asked, tightening her throat. So far, only Bonnie and Chica had been extremely active. Occasionally, even Freddy Fazbear himself would turn to face the camera, with those cold, white speck eyes. But Foxy…he had not budged the whole time. In fact, they had given up on watching Foxy altogether because of how inactive he had been. Had that been a huge mistake?

Shaking her head no, Tammy started smashing the keys. “He was there a second ago, but now he’s gone…” she trailed off, and pointed a trembling finger at Evie. “Shut the door now!” She ordered.

Evie did not know what was happening, but she was not about to question it. She reached for the button, only to be suddenly interrupted by Michael. Leaping from his chair, he charged at the brunette screaming, “No! Go away, Golden Freddy! Damn it! You can’t have me!”

Slamming his body into her, the guard knocked the wind out of Evie. She had zero time to react, as he shoved her out the door. Stumbling backwards, her back found the wall, which she used to brace herself from the pain. It closed tightly shut, trapping Evie outside of their boarded up sanctuary.

A sense of dread washed over her, as she pressed her hands against the cool metal. I’m gonna die, was her first thought that continued to repeat. Throwing caution to the wind, she banged her fists on it as load as she could. “Let me back in! Open up! Michael!”

She could hear voices and shuffling sounds of feet on the other side. Pressing her ear against the door, she listened in on their conversation. “Michael, what did you do?”

“I don’t know…what came over me. I thought she was…” taking a moment to gulp, he continued. “Must’ve been hallucinating. I didn’t mean to push her out. I swear!”

“We got to let Miss Evie back in!” Zach pleaded. Evie could hear the squeaking of his tennis shoes, as he matched toward the door. Then, it stopped, and was replaced with grunting noises of a scuffle. The day guard had probably grabbed him to hold him back. “Let me go!”

“No, Zach! We can’t open the door back up. Foxy’s coming, and he’ll kill us all if we let her in.” Michael insisted.

“But…she’ll die out there!” Zach broke down crying. “I don’t want her to die!”

“Calm down, Zach,” Tammy comforted him. “We’ll think of something.”

Evie was about to call out again and beg for her life, but a load thud drew her attention. At the end of the shadowy hallway, Foxy was stomping toward her. His jaw was hanging loose in an open position. A piercing screech rang in her eardrums, during his charge. It sounded like a bunch of scraps of metal scraping together.

Instinctively, Evie pinned herself to the wall, and threw her arms over her head. Her whole body tensed, as adrenaline pumped through her blood stream. There was no way she could go up against this mechanical beast and win. This was the part where she fully expected to die.

The creaking steps came closer and closer, until he was practically on top of her. She braced herself for the inevitable impact and her doom. A looming dark shadow stood in front of her. “Please God, just make this quick.” She quietly whispered. Squeezing her eyes shut, she sucked in a deep breath, hoping beyond hope that somehow, she would survive.


	8. 1:45

Evie waited, holding in her breath, for the pain to begin. In her mind flashed images of the mechanical fox tearing her to pieces. The hook dug deep into her chest. His cold, metal fingers gripped her neck. Jaw opened wide, he looked as though he would swallow her whole.

Yet, absolutely nothing happened. She stood completely still for what felt like an eternity. Breathing deeply, she began to wonder what the hell was going on. Cautiously, she pulled her arms from her face, and pried her grey eyes open.

There was Foxy standing a few inches from her. He had his head bowed with it also tilted to the side. Light yellow eyes stared at the perplexed young teenager. His arms had dropped to the side in a nonthreatening stance.

Taken aback by the turn of events, Evie’s knees caved. The sudden rush of adrenaline quickly faded, leaving her body feeling like jello. Throwing out her hands to stop her fall, she braced herself to hit the tile floor.

With startling speed, Foxy stuck out his arm, and caught her mid-fall. She clung to his sturdy arm. Her fingers dug into his soft fur, as she struggled against the urge to faint. A thousand questions riddled her thoughts, but her jaw clamped shut in terror. This prevented her from asking anything.

Foxy bent over, and with his free hand, scooped Evie into his arms. She shifted until his endoskeleton was no longer digging into her shoulders. That same sensation of warmth she always felt wormed its way through her blood stream. It calmed her nerves.

Without much warning, Foxy whirled around on his heels. He took off a full speed, heading back down the hall. Evie, as they passed the camera, wanted to raise her arm, and wave to show she was still alive. Trying her best to do so, she could not muster up the strength in her noodle arms. She gave up the endeavor quickly.

Foxy ran through the restaurant with ease. Almost as though he had done this a million times. Anything blocking their path he simply leapt over, or navigated around. Evie kept glancing around, wondering where Chica and Bonnie were. Thankfully, neither of them was in sight.

It was not long before the two of them reached Pirate’s Cove. Dashing past the curtain, Foxy came to an abrupt stop. As gently as he could manage, the animatronic set her on the ground. She carefully slid out of his arms, and was extremely grateful to be back on solid wood. Sitting down with her back against the wall, she clutched her chest. Despite knowing she was out of danger, her heart continued beating rapidly.

Foxy remained standing there net to her. His head was cocked, as if he was asking her a question. Guessing what it was, Evie finally spoke. “I’m fine.”

Somehow, the fox appeared relieved o hear her speak those words. His jaw snapped shut. Sticking out his neck, he seemed to be prompting her to talk more. A strange request for an animatronic, Evie mused, as she swallowed. What did someone ask an object that had come to life?

She started with an obvious question. “The other animatronics are tearing people apart. Why’d you save me?”

Lifting up his head, Foxy tapped his hand against his throat. It suddenly dawned on Evie that she had forgotten taking his voice box out the day before. She had ordered the part, and it had not come in yet. “Oh, sorry about the voice box,” she apologized. “The part isn’t here yet.”

Foxy shrugged, not seeming to care all that much. Folding her arms over her chest, Evie sighed. “I wish you could tell me what’s going on. I just can’t figure out why you guys are killing people. I didn’t think any of us was that bad.”

Suddenly, Foxy snapped his head up, and he lowered his eye patch over his right eye. “What’s wrong, Foxy?” Evie said, her body tensing up. Placing a finger over his mouth, the pirate darted out from behind the curtain.

Evie took his advice, and stayed silent. Her breathing slowed. She barely moved. Fixating her eyes on the ceiling, she patiently waited.

All the while, her mind was plagued with what might be happening. Wandering to the bottom of the curtain, her eyes spotted two lingering shadows. And, if she listened closely, she could hear a soft, deep chuckle a long with a much quieter squeaking. Unable to stand it, Evie crawled to the edge of the stage. She pressed her cheek flat on the floor, and peered under the purple barrier.

Foxy was facing Freddy Fazbear in what looked to be a standoff. He was trying to keep the other animatronic from entering Pirate’s Cove. Freddy’s blue eyes glowed in the dark, and his teeth smashed together while he chuckled. Foxy mirrored the bear’s mouth movement.

They’re communicating, Evie noticed with awe. It truly was an amazing sight, watching the subtle change in their movements. She could not help but wonder what they were saying. Her gaze was transfixed on them for a while.

Both Foxy and Freddy’s ears perked up at the sound of a faint scream. They jerked their heads around. Foxy glanced back at Freddy, who slowly nodded in approval. Each went their separate way: Freddy lumbered back to the stage, while Foxy dashed down the hall.

Pushing herself back on her feet, Evie scratched her head. Who had screamed? Was someone else being attacked? Had Bonnie or Chica managed to enter the guard room?

Shuddering, Evie forced these dark thoughts from her mind. She sat back down, hoping her friend would return soon. The quiet was starting to drive her mad.

Without warning, Foxy reappeared, holding a small bundle in his arms. It shivered, while also making a valiant attempt to escape. Evie instantly recognized the red shirt as being Zach’s shirt, and she hopped onto her feet. Foxy cocked his head, and released Zach from his grasp. He stumbled, and Evie caught him. Blindly flailing his arms, the boy was fully panicking.

“Zach, it’s okay. It’s just me, Evie.”


	9. 2:00

Turning slowly around, Zach’s hazel eyes widened. He could not believe the employee was standing before him, completely unscathed. Despite Tammy’s best efforts, he had managed to see her be carried off by the animatronic with his own eyes. She had appeared limp and lifeless, but apparently, that was not the case.

Finding his words again, he wrapped his short arms around Evie’s waist. “I thought you were dead!” He cried, unable to keep his tears from spilling out. “We all saw you…on the screen…an’…Foxy was…taking you away…”

“Shh,” Evie cradled the nine year old gingerly in her arms. Stroking his black hair, she did her best to soothe his fears. “It’s okay, Zach. I’m right here. I’m not gonna leave you. You’ll be okay.” Motherly instincts taking hold, her warm lips pressed against his forehead.

Zach buried his face in her shirt around her chest. Clinging to her sleeves, he never wanted to let her go. Also, he was still extremely weary of the pirate fox. He did not care if he had left Evie and him alive. Who was to say the animatronic would not change his mind, and try to kill both of them at once?

Crouching down and facing the two humans he had rescued, Foxy stayed close to the curtain. He seemed to be determined to protect them. Protect us from what, Evie wondered. She speculated that it was probably the other animatronics, but what if there was something else he was concerned about? Why else would they target the employees?

And that brought on another onslaught of questions. Why did Foxy decide to save her and Zach? What had brought them to life in the first place? Why today, of all days, did they pick to attack everyone in sight?

However, she had to quell these questions, and refocus on her priority Zach. She continued rocking him back and forth, until his sobs ceased. Sniffling, he pulled slightly away from Evie, and wiped the snot on his nose with his wrist. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, bowing his head.

Puzzled, Evie raised an eyebrow. “Sorry for what?”

“Sorry for crying like a big baby.” He grumbled, while crossing his arms over his chest.

Lifting his chin so he was staring up into her eyes, Evie sighed. “Zach, don’t you ever apologize for being scared and crying. It’s perfectly fine if you cry. We are all a little terrified right now.” Leaning over, she touched her forehead to his, and tickled the back of his neck in hopes to lighten the mood.

He giggled some before nodding. Satisfied, Evie straightened out her back. She felt Zach’s body stiffen when his wandering gaze caught hold of Foxy. To keep him from scrambling, the teenager set him in her lap, and smiled. “Don’t worry about Foxy. He’s on our side.”

“Really?” Zach was still suspicious. His eyes narrowed to slits as he stared down his nightmare. Foxy responded by closing his jaw, and extending his hand in a peaceful gesture. After hesitating and receiving a playful nudge from Evie, Zach accepted the offer with a firm shake.

“There, see? Nothing to worry about.” Now that one problem had been taken care of, Evie promptly moved onto the next thing that plagued her. “Zach, what happened in the guard room? How did you end up outside the doors where Foxy could grab you?”

As if Evie had flipped a switch, her words triggered Zach to fall back into his frozen state. His fingers stiffened, and his gaze drifted to a far off stare. Almost as though he was reliving a traumatizing event. “Zach?” Evie nudged his shoulder, trying to shake him out of it.

“I...I couldn’t stop him.” He said after a long while of staying silent. “Mr. Michael, he just…had a knife…and...”

This caught Evie’s attention. “Zach!” Turning him to face her, she squeezed his arms. Her heart began racing, as the realization started sinking in. “What did Michael do?”

“He…he had a knife in his hands. And, then he hurt her with it. And, then he started laughing. And, then he said stuff like, ‘You never suspected me!’ and ‘I killed those kids’.” Biting his lower lip to stifle his tears, he once again buried his face into her shirt. “Then he threw me out of the room so Foxy could kill me!”

Everything started to click in Evie’s mind, as she held Zach close to her. There had always been vicious rumors surrounding Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza about children being murdered. People often speculated that the kids were stuffed inside the animatronic bodies of the Fazbear crew. No one truly believed it because the management refused to confirm it.

Michael did let it slip one day that he had worked a Fazbear Entertainment job for many years. He made it sound as though he had only just started his security job after the company became desperate.

If all this was true, however, there was only one conclusion: he was lying. The man who was arrested for the murders must have been him. Probably changed his name so he could rejoin, and continue fulfilling his sick and twisted desire.

Her anger bubbling up and getting the better of her, Evie gritted her teeth. “That’s it!” She cried out, while standing up. Baffled, both Zach and Foxy wondered what she was planning. It was only when she was marching toward the curtain they caught wind of what she was thinking about doing. Zach begged her not to go, while Foxy tried grabbing her. She pressed on, and ignored their warnings.

Stomping up to the stage, Evie’s blood pressure rose higher than ever before. A fury bubbled deep within her. She stood behind Freddy Fazbear himself, who was preoccupied with staring into the camera.

Boldly, Evie stood with her arms crossed, and tapped her foot. She waited until her frustration got the better of her. “Hey!” She shouted. “Freddy Fazbear!”

The furry brown bear suddenly loomed over her. His jaw opened wide, as if to intimidate Evie. Arms reaching out to grab her, he started to play his little tune. A sure sign that he was contemplating killing her. Evie, stubbornly standing her ground, straightened out her back, and opened up her mouth.


	10. 3:00

“Oh shut it, Freddy!” She spat. He promptly stopped playing the music, and lowered his arms. A look of surprised kind of crossed his face, as Foxy and Zach came barreling into the room. Zach eagerly ran onto the stage, and sniffled. He hated that Evie had abandoned him, even if she left him in capable hands.

Evie hardly paid any attention to the entering parties. All her focus was directed at Freddy, who she addressed, yet again. “Look, I think I’ve got this whole thing figured out. Y’all are vengeful spirits of dead children, who were murdered and stuffed into these suits, and you’re on a mission to kill any employee you think might’ve killed you all those years ago, right?” Hands placed on her hips, she impatiently tapped her foot. She was waiting for a response to validate her theory.

Freddy and Foxy both simultaneously nodded. Evie could feel Zach hugging the back of her leg harder. It was a silent plea to stop her from continuing, and possibly angering the ghosts. Ignoring his concerns, she stared directly into the whites of Freddy’s eyes, while she spoke.

“Okay then,” her jaw was clenched to help her keep her emotions in check. Pointing toward the back guard room, Evie drew a long breath. “Well, I think based on what Zach told me, that the day guard was the guy who killed you.”

That caught their attention. Foxy waved his hook, and gnashed his teeth together. Freddy remained still, but appeared to be a bit more alert.

“I know y’all want revenge on this guy, and I don’t blame you, but we’ve got bigger issues. The guard has the manager Tammy trapped inside with him. We need to break in there, and get him out, without killing him or Tammy! Can you handle that?” Evie instructed.

Extending his arms wide, Freddy bent over. His suit smelled of burnt pizza, metal and blood. Zach softly gasped, as the bear loomed over them. Cringing, Evie wondered what he was going to do, as he drew closer. To her relief, the animatronic merely embraced her in a hug. A gesture she assumed meant he was on board with the plan.

“Thank you,” she whispered, patting him on the back. Pulling away, she grabbed Zach’s hand, and directed him to the stairs. “Have Bonnie and Chica attack he left door together. That should be enough to get inside. Me an’ Zach will meet you there. We have to make a stop first.”

The distinct chuckle echoed through the corridor, as Evie sped away. Once again, her mind was racing. This time, however, she occupied it with her first aid and CPR training. If Tammy had been stabbed, like Zach had indicated, then she would require some serious attention.

All the while, Zach fired off multiple questions. “Why is Freddy bein’ nice? Where are we goin’? Can we slow down, please?”

“I don’t know. To the office, and no we can’t.”

Zach seemed to think better of asking more questions because he did not talk again. Thankful for this, Evie finally found herself at the manager office. She jiggled the knob, and was surprised to find it swing open. Tammy must’ve forgotten to lock it, she thought.

Dashing inside, she grabbed the first aid kit, and wasted no time leaving. She ran so fast, Zach’s stubby legs could hardly keep up. They had to walk amongst the dead bodies: both of them were determined not to look. They had to focus on the task ahead, and not the devastation before them.

Both of them were heavily panting when they reached the steel door. Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy were furiously banging on the metal, making large dents. Freddy surveyed their work from a short distance. The two humans marveled at the bizarre sight. Unfortunately, it looked to them like the door refused to budge.

AS if he was reading their minds, Foxy stepped back, knelt down, and jammed his hook under the door. He pulled up enough of the door for Bonnie and Chica to grab hold and help. In no time flat, they pushed the door back into the ceiling. Then, they jammed a stray piece of metal into the hinges, causing it to stick.

A shriek and moan came from the room. The animatronics reached inside, and dragged Michael out. He was violently thrashing about, but it was hopeless. Steel grip kept him from escaping.

Bonnie appeared especially angry at the murderer. Purple hands reached out, as if he intended to strangle the man to death. Evie’s throat tightened because she thought she would have to step in. Luckily, Freddy placed a paw on his partner, and shook his head. Disappointed and unwilling to disobey, Bonnie ceased his assault. Instead, he found a stray rope from the supply closet, and used that to tie Michael up.

“Let me go!” He wailed. “I didn’t do anything to you!”

“Sure about that?” Evie could not help herself. The words slipped out of her mouth, while the animatronics were hauling him by. His eyes widened in complete shock.

“But…you were…dead,” he stammered.

Evie did not dignify that response with an answer. There were more pressing matters weighing on her mind. She entered the guard room, and was instantly awestruck by the blood pool on the floor.

Lying on the ground was Tammy. She was still conscious, her hand pressed hard against her stomach. Pale face and drooping eyes stared up at Evie. A wave of relief seemed to wash over her, as she extended her shivering hand. “Help,” Tammy managed to squeak.

“Don’t worry, Tammy.” Evie dropped to her knees, and clicked open the latches on the box. “We’re gonna help you.”

Tammy weakly smiled at the reassurance. Ripping out a roll of gauze, Evie lifted up her manager’s shirt. The wound spurted blood out. It looked pretty deep. Wasting no time, the young teen meticulously started wrapping gauze around, after cleaning out the injury with alcohol.

Once that problem was addressed, Evie focused on warming Tammy’s clammy skin. Shock must be settling in, she concluded. Grabbing her jacket from her employee locker, she placed it over her boss, and turned to Zach.

“Zach, this is important. I want you to go back to the office, get the phone, and all 911. The address is on the back of the door. Let them know what happened, but don’t tell them about the animatronics. Got it?”

“Yes, Miss Evie.” He replied, making a break for the office. With that problem resolved, Evie glanced back at Tammy. Squeezing the young woman’s arm, she sighed.

“Sorry, Tammy, but I’ve got to leave real quick. Bonnie and Chica have got a little blood on them, and I should clean it up before the police get here. You think you’ll be all right alone for a bit?”

Slowly nodding her head, Tammy gave her permission. “Go,” she insisted. Jumping back onto her feet, Evie headed toward the supply closet.


	11. 3:15

It did not take all that long to clean up Bonnie’s and Chica’s hands. All the animatronics were standing around Michael (if that was his real name), glaring down at him. Evie lifted their paws, and scrubbed them clean.

The harder part came when she tried to convince the animatronics to resume their normal places. Police officers were coming, along with EMS and firefighters. And, Evie did not want any of them thinking she was delirious, or that the animatronics were actually the culprits. She pleaded and begged, but to no avail.

Finally, her eyes met Foxy’s. He read her distraught expression, and dropped his shoulders. Stepping off the stage, he reluctantly wandered back to Pirates Cove. That prompted the other animatronics to do the same. They donned their natural positions, and held perfectly frozen in place.

All the while, Michael was nervously shuffling his feet. He scowled at Evie every time she walked past. She did her best to disregard him, but soon, he started to jab at her with rude remarks. “What the hell kind of deal with the devil did you sign to get them to cooperate with you?” Or, he said, “I didn’t do it, you know! I’ve been framed. I wasn’t responsible for those kids dying.”

Something inside Evie snapped. She curled her lips into a snarl, as she turned to face the man. “That’s bullshit, and you know it!”

He acted hurt at this statement. “Why don’t you believe me?”

“Because Tammy was stabbed by you, and you endangered Zach,” narrowing her eyes, she spit at his feet. “You should’ve been the one to die. You’re lucky I didn’t tell Freddy and the gang to kill you.”

Michael’s face changed from a frown to a twisted smile. “You like my work?” He smugly said. Those words cut deep into Evie’s soul. To keep herself from smashing a chair into the back of his head, she retreated back to the front of the restaurant. There, she found Zach standing by the entrance doors. He was pacing back and forth, and was happy to see Evie when she arrived.

“Zach? What are you doing here? What about the 911 call?”

Straightening out his back like he was standing at attention, he explained himself. “The nice lady on the phone told me the police would be here soon and I hafta watch for them.”

Just as he finished his account of what happened, Evie heard a pounding on the door. Moments later, the police came inside, guns drawn at the ready. Behind them entered the paramedics, rushing through the door with a folded stretcher in hand. A slim officer cautiously approached Evie. His eyes scanned her whole body, probably to survey whether she was carrying a weapon. Once he was satisfied, he lowered his revolver, and spoke.

“Where’s the perp?” He grunted.

Evie’s voice and hands shook so much as she answered. “On stage.” She had not realized this experience was affecting this much.

Nodding, he posed another question. “Is he detained?”

“What does de-tain-ed mean?” Zach interjected before Evie could stop him. Bending over, she quickly explained the meaning of the word, and told the officer yes.

Turning her attention toward the paramedic, she directed them to Tammy. They thanked her, and took off own the hall at full speed. Deciding to let the professionals handle the situation, Evie shuffled Zach outside, where they were surprised to find his mother waiting for him.

She was a wiry woman, with the same stark black hair. Lips pressed into a thin line, she leaned on her warm car, and her arms were crossed. When she spotted her son through her dark sunglasses, she stood upright and ran over.

“Oh, Zach,” she cried, tears brimming in her eyes. Kissing his forehead and squeezing him tightly, his mom let out a sigh of relief. “When I got here an’ saw the police, I nearly panicked. What happened?”

Up until then, Zach was stiff and silent. His arms were crossed, and he refused to look at her. Evie guessed that he was still miffed at her for leaving him at Freddy’s all day to endure this. But now that she was comforting him, he broke down.

“Mommy…” he blubbered. “The man tried to kill us! I was…so scared…” Swallowing, he glanced back at his friend. “Miss Evie saved me though.”

“It was really nothing,” Evie shuffled her feet, while her cheeks burned red. A hero is not what she saw herself as. Protecting Zach was more of a motherly instinct than anything else. She just believed it was part of her job.

The two woman’s eyes met, making Evie more uncomfortable. She had what looked to be blazing orange eyes. His mother extended her right hand. “Thank you so much,” she murmured, as their hands touched. Sincerity rang true in her voice. Heart fluttering with overwhelming joy and love, Evie respectfully backed away.

“You’re welcome.”

Silently bowing her head, Zach’s mom refocused her attention on her young son. Walking away to give them some privacy, Evie was drawn to a loud commotion. Michael, in hand cuffs, was being dragged to the police car. Proclaiming that the animatronics came to life, he was playing the crazy card. At the exact same time, paramedics were pushing Tammy into the ambulance.

Walking up to the open doors, Evie reached out and gripped her hand. “Glad to see that you’re still okay.” She sighed with relief. Awaiting Tammy’s answer, she noticed the manager was in no shape to answer. The people had jammed IV needles into her elbows. That and the crew had strapped her into place, and replaced the blood soaked gauze with new ones.

Stroking her fingers through the blonde’s hair, Evie whispered, “You’re gonna be all right.”

Making an effort to life her head, Tammy took a shallow breath. “Please, come with me. I…don’t want to be alone. Just…in case I…”

Gulping back her fear, the anxious employee interrupted her injured boss. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll hop into my car, and drive to the hospital right behind you. Okay?”

“Okay…” Tammy’s consciousness started waning, as her eyelids drifted close. Panic rose in Evie, who grasped the young woman’s hand tighter. One paramedic spotted this, and quickly approached her.

“We have to go.” He insisted. Reaching for the door, he paused, and glanced back at Evie. “You wanna follow us to the hospital?”

“Yes.” With that, Evie turned on her heels, and jogged to her car. The keys jingled in her hands, as she slid into her seat, and inserted her key. She followed the white vehicle with flashing blue and red lights all the way to the hospital.


	12. 5:30

After sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair for what felt like an eternity, Evie was finally allowed out of the E.R. waiting room. She followed a nurse who wore sickly green scrubs back through a series of hallways. Her tennis shoes squeaked on the tile floor. That, however, was barely audible due to the noisy nature of the hospital. Evie could hardly hear herself think in this environment.

They came up on one of the white doors on the right. It was labeled room 320, and-to Evie’s delight-was not in the ICU wing. She strolled past the nurse, and went inside the stark white room. A tired, but awake and happy, Tammy greeted her with a broad smile. The bronze glow of her skin had also returned. Strewn about her bed was an assortment of her college nursing books. She held a pencil, and had been scribbling on pieces of paper.

“Hey, Tammy,” Evie waved from the doorway. Stepping toward the side of the bed, she patted the nineteen year old woman’s wrist. “You feeling better?”

“Much,” Tammy answered. Brushing a stray hair out of her eyes, she licked her lips. “The doctors said I would be fine, and that I got really lucky. When Michael stabbed me…” she paused, images of the event flickered back into her memory, and her heartrate increased. Reliving the trauma was not a fun experience. She bowed her head before continuing. “…he didn’t hit anything vital. And, they said if you hadn’t put on the gauze, I could’ve bled to death.”

About to protest that it was nothing, Evie clamped her mouth shut. Tammy pushed herself upright, and latched onto Evie’s shoulder. Lips trembling, she sniffled, and chocked on her words. “You saved my life, and I was such a bitch to you earlier. I feel so awful…”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. I was kind of a bitch too. We both got out of control in that fight. Probably because we were under a whole lot of stress. Ya know, from learning that those animatronics came to life and were killing everybody.”

“Yeah,” Tammy forcefully chuckled. The room filled with uncomfortable laughter before it was suddenly cut off by Tammy’s coughing. When she settled back down into the blankets, she raised an eyebrow, and gave a quizzical look. “By the way, Zach, Michael, and I thought for sure you were dead. I couldn’t believe it when you came into the room. What happened to you?”

“Well…” hesitating, Evie was unsure whether or not she should tell her the truth. Then again, Tammy already knew the animatronics were the actual cause of the death. There was no real reason to hide what she had discovered. “It’s a crazy story. Basically, what happened was…”

She retold her harrowing story of her encounter with Foxy, and how he hid her away. Of how Zach went through the same ordeal, and how his story along with her recollection of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza history. And finally, she described how dead children souls being infused within the characters’ suits had been the cause of their near death experience. Once she was finished, she became quiet to allow for the information to sink in.

Absolutely dumbfounded, Tammy’s jaw sagged slightly. She appeared to be internally denying the information she received. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine this could be possible. And, there were plenty of questions she wanted answered, but her dry tongue and lips refused to move.

Somehow, Evie sensed this was the case, and scratched the back of her head. “I know. It’s so weird. How could it have happened? Honestly, I have no…”

Suddenly, there was a few hard knocks on the door. Exchanging confused looks, they both shrugged. “Come in,” Tammy called, and the door swung open.

When the officer entered the room, Evie could hear Tammy’s heart monitor beeping faster. She held the woman’s hand as she stood up from her seat. The stress of the trauma must be getting to her, Evie thought before addressing the man. “May we help you?”

She recognized him, when he removed his hat. The same slim officer who had first entered the restaurant. “Excuse me for intruding, but we have some bad news.” That sent more waves of fear through both of them. Eyes widening, they listened to the police officer, as he explained the situation. “When we got to the security room, all the camera feeds had been destroyed. That, along with other lack of evidence, doesn’t really show that Mr. Michael is guilty of anything other than attempted murder. That’s a much lesser charge than your accusations.”

“But…”Evie gulped. Attempted murder carried a significantly less sentence. What would happen if Michael got out of jail? Would he come after all of them? “We all saw him commit the murders! That’s got to count for something, right?”

“I’m afraid not. We’ll need some sort of significant evidence in order to prosecute.”

This caused both Evie and Tammy’s heart sank. That is, until Tammy had a sudden revelation. “Wait!” She cried out, pointing to a plastic bag of her belongings. “I think I can help. I had a recorder in my pocket that I think was recording at the time.”

“Really?” That perked up the officer’s mood. He quickly pulled out the black recorder in her jacket pocket, and eagerly pressed the play button.

“Wha…the…”

Thud!

“You…you stabbed me.”

“So sorry it had to end this way, but I can’t afford to leave any witnesses.”

“Wh…why? What did…I ever do…to you.”

“Oh, it’s not what you did to me. I’ve got nothing against you. It’s just that I can’t be found anywhere near this place. Or else, they’ll recognize me from my previous arrest record.”

“You mean…you worked here…before? And they…fired you?”

“That’s the miracle of changing your name and identity. No one realizes that it was you, and you can go back to doing what you love. For me, you might as well know that’s killing children, since you’ll be dead so anyways.”

“This…this is all your fault?”

“Yes, I am the monstrous child killer who got away Scott free in 1987. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Mister Michael…what’s going on?”

“Come here, kid.”

“Don’t touch him!”

“There. He’s been taken care of.”

“You…you…”

“Shh. Don’t worry, sweetie. If blood loss doesn’t kill you, then the shock will.”

“We must never speak of this again.”

“Agreed.”

Clicking the recorder off, the officer’s eyes lit up with hope. “This is quite a confession. Definitely enough proof for us to prove our case. But, what was that last bit?”

“That’s not relevant information. Just a previous conversation.” Tammy waved off his concerns, while snuggling further into the blankets. Thanking them, the officer left, and Evie remained in the room talking with Tammy for about another hour. Afterwards, she left to go get some well-deserved sleep.


	13. 6:00 am

Letting loose a yawn and stretching her arms, Evie dragged herself out of her car. The manager’s keys Tammy had bestowed upon her were in her hand. Blurry eyed, she struggled to keep them open and awake.

Last night events still lingered in her mind. When she had returned back home, she faced one hell of an interrogation from her worried parents. They forced her to go over everything in vivid detail, while placing a plate with a heap of steaming spaghetti in front of her. Devouring it, she complied with their requests. Not long after that, she received an unexpected phone call from Zach’s family.

Without thinking anything of it, Evie had answered the phone as it rang. “Hello?”

“Hello, is Evie Johnson there?” She identified the voice as that of Zach’s mother. Wondering what this call was about, Evie leaned on the counter for support.

“Yes, this is her speaking.”

“Oh thank goodness. For a minute there I thought I had the wrong number.” Sucking in a breath, the woman continued talking before Evie could say anything. “I just wanted to call and say again how grateful I am that you saved Zach. I don’t know what would’ve happened if that maniac had killed him.”

“It was nothing Mrs. …”

“Mrs. Friedman.” She formally introduced herself. Then, the phone apparently had shuffled hands because a man started talking. Evie guessed that he was Mr. Friedman.

“Yes, Evie, it was something incredible. We cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done for us. If Zach had been killed….I don’t know what we would’ve done.” His deep voice was shaky with emotion and relief.

Starting to feel uncomfortable at their praise, Evie cleared her throat. Apparently, Mrs. Friedman had taken her cue, and changed the subject. “I think Zach wants to speak with you real quick. Would that be all right?”

“Sure. Put him on.” Evie agreed. More shuffling noises and she heard Zach’s voice. “Hi, Zach. Is there something you wanted to talk about?”

“Hi, Miss Evie!” He loudly greeted, before launching into a lengthy speech. “Guess what? I’m not scared of the metal animals no more. I wanna tinker with ‘em like you do. I’ve started learnin’ to use a…daddy, what is this? A screwdriver.”

“That’s great!” Evie was elated. At least one good thing could come of this mess. “Maybe you can come by to Freddy’s some time, and I’ll show you how to fix up the animatronics. Would you like that?”

“Yes I would! Oh, Mommy says that we gotta go. Bye, Miss Evie! I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, Zach!”

Click. The phone had shut off, and Evie placed it back on the hanger. She could not stop smiling which triggered more questions from her parents. This time, however, it was getting late and she excused herself. “Got a busy day ahead tomorrow.” Was her excuse.

Finally, Evie managed to crawl into bed, and bury herself into her silky covers. Warmth quickly lulled her into sleep. Unfortunately, her dreams were less than comforting. She kept seeing visions of dead children’s bodies strewn about the floor. Or it would show Michael slipping into an extra golden colored Freddy suit. Or it would show some strange teary-eyed limp puppet walking toward her. Its strings were keeping it upright, as it chased her through her dreams.

And, to top it all off, she still saw Josh in that bloody hallway. His face and skull were bashed in; with parts of his brain splattered on the wall. Mouth frozen open in a scream. Dull blue eyes were now opened wide, and fixed on the ceiling. Chunks of hair and skin hung on his forehead by the tiniest thread.

Her heart ached with pain, whenever she remembered him. I could’ve saved him, were words that constantly haunted her. If only he had stayed with them, then he would still be alive. She kept waking up in a cold sweat about every hour because of this. It made for a long and tiring sleepless night.

Guilt from her dreams last night continued to weigh heavy on her mind, as she approached the door. She was so tired; it took her a few times to insert the key into the hole. In the midst of her frustration, she hardly noticed the white lights of a mail truck pulling into the parking lot. The pudgy mailman climbed down from his seat, grabbed his clipboard and a package from the back, and walked over.

“Good morning, ma’am,” his cheerful greeting grated on Evie’s nerves. She spun around, and did her best to remain polite.

“Morning.”

“I have a package for this address. You the manager?”

Evie nodded. Technically, this was not true, but Tammy had temporarily put her in charge until she got out of the hospital. She dug into her purse, and pulled out a black pen.

“Sign here, please.”

Scribbling her signature, Evie took the package, said goodbye, and entered the building. She dropped all of her stuff into the office. It felt weird for her to go inside: almost like she was intruding. But, she soon received a call from Tammy to distract her. The manager laid out everything that needed to be done, and explained how she had gotten ahold of a few employees. They would be coming in later to help out with cleanup duty, and getting the location back on track. Evie thanked her, and hung up when they were done talking.

Snatching the package and her toolbox, she headed for Pirate’s Cove. Fixing Foxy would surely help get her mind off of yesterday’s events. She entered the curtain, and smiled when the fox lifted his head. “Hey,” she casually greeted him with a wave. He returned the wave with his hook, and watched as she set her belongings on the table.

Patting the box, she glanced back behind her. “Your voice box finally arrived.” She ripped it apart, carefully pulled it out, and began installing it into Foxy. He remained rigid, as she worked. It did not take long for the new device to be inserted and hooked up.

All while she tinkered away, Evie chatted like she usually did. Her problems spilled out of her like a waterfall. Sighing, she took a step back to survey her work. Satisfied, she ran her fingers through her long chestnut hair. “There. That ought to do it. You’re all fixed up now. Much better, isn’t it?”

Foxy lifted up his chin, and touched his throat. Jaw opening up, his teeth gleamed in the stage light. “A lot better, thank you.” Foxy said.


End file.
